The Dearne Valley Area

The Dearne Valley is rich in industrial heritage, valuable biodiversity, beautiful landscapes and strong communities. It has been at the heart of industrial development over thousands of years and is an area that continues to undergo change. The DVLP will help reveal the hidden Dearne.

Where is the Dearne Valley?

The Dearne Valley is located in the eastern Pennine foothills of South Yorkshire, between towns of Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster. It covers parts of the three local authority areas and is within both the Leeds and Sheffield City Regions.

It is a semi-rural landscape with a wealth of historic buildings, culture, archaeology, woodlands, grasslands and wetlands. As the name would suggest the Dearne Valley is the area defined by the valley through which the River Dearne flows. Further downstream, the waters join the River Don heading out towards the Humber.

The Dearne Valley Landscape Partnership Area is 177 square kilometres, extending from Barnsley town centre in the west to Conisbrough in the east, from Wentworth and Swinton in the south to Grimethorpe and Thurnscoe in the north. The area is close to the A1(M), the M18 and M1 motorways with a good network of railway stations, providing easy connections to Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield and Leeds. It is ideally placed as a centre for learning, recreation, leisure and enjoyment of the natural and historic environment.